Please Touch Museum (Philadelphia, PA)

2016 Grant of $20,000 – Philadelphia Chapter, FHS
Memorial Hall was built in 1876 to serve as the Art Gallery for the International Centennial Exhibition. Today it is the Home of the Please Touch Museum, which attracts half a million visitors per year, mostly children. Said to be the first use of Beaux-Art in the US, and as one of the first museums in the country, it has influenced the construction of several Beaux-Arts buildings for museum and civic structures. The central hall was twice as big as the largest existing hall at the time of its construction, making it one of the most influential building of its time.
Restoration: The Hall’s marble floor